Now, as the 2013 Writer-in-Residence at the Carl Sandburg Home in Flat Rock, Hester will leave her home in north Georgia for three weeks to work on a new "novel in stories" at the national historic site, as well as engage with the community on writing.

"It is indeed a pleasure to have Katherine Hester in Flat Rock as the 2013 Writer in Residence and a member of the Carl Sandburg NHS family," says Tyrone Brandyburg, superintendent of Carl Sandburg NHS.

Brandyburg thinks that Hester's work fits well with the goals and themes of the national historic site, as well as with the works of Carl Sandburg.

"I look forward to meeting Katherine in person and having her share her writings with the community as we continue the park's tradition of promoting artists," Brandyburg says.

While she is in Flat Rock for the residency, Hester will live in the historic farm manager's house on the grounds of Carl Sandburg Home NHS.

"I feel really honored to have been chosen," says Hester, who adds that she thinks the residency program is "a thoughtful marriage of having the alone time to dig deep and a chance to interact with community about what writing is all about."

As part of that outreach, Hester will read her work at a public reception at the Chamber of Commerce on Friday and interact with area students and teachers while she's in Flat Rock.

She will also appear at the Carl Sandburg Student Poetry Contest celebration on March 22 at Blue Ridge Community College.

The public is welcome to join in the recognition of the students as they recite their winning poems at this event.

Hester says she looks forward to being immersed in the tranquil surroundings of the park and its historic buildings as a backdrop for inspiration and to inform the historical aspects of her writing.

Hester laughs as she admits she looks forward to being around the park's herd of goats, as she's always been intrigued with the idea of goat farming.

Hester is the author of a collection of stories, "Eggs for Young America," which was awarded the inaugural Bakeless Prize, and selected by Barnes & Noble for its Discover New Writers promotion, as well as named a New York Times Notable Book.

In her fiction, Hester writes of "a New South that includes both suburbia and nostalgia for a countryside once wild."

She recognizes the nostalgia for the South's agrarian past.

"There's a tension between what we came from and where we are now," Hester says. "You can't think about the South without thinking about what it used to be."

Her short fiction has also appeared in "Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards," "Best American Mystery Stories," American Short Fiction, The Yale Review, and Brain, Child magazine, among other publications.

"Short stories are really great for our time period — they can be read in one sitting, and easily read on screen," Hester says. "They are the connective tissue between poetry and the long novel — they are very powerful, like a boxer's best punch."

Born in 1964 in Dallas, she received an undergraduate degree in print journalism from the University of Georgia and an M.A. in English with a concentration in creative writing from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was awarded two James A. Michener Fellowships in Writing.

Hester lives near Atlanta with her husband and two young daughters.

Having grown up in Athens, Ga., where her father taught at the University of Georgia, she's has been familiar with Western North Carolina for most of her life.

Her first visit to the Sandburg house was on a road trip back to Atlanta from Asheville, about 12 years ago.

"I was so struck by the hominess of the house," she says. "People tend to mention the toaster between the armchairs in the living room — it's become a symbol of the domestic quality of his life there."

"Modern writers are always having to make choices between work life and home life," Hester adds. "Carl Sandburg was very much a part of the family — it's an idyllic image for a writer."

The annual residency program that has nurtured the work of poets and fiction writers is made possible though the support of the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara.

"The Friends are very excited to welcome our fourth writer-in-residence and eager to have the magic of this place be the muse for her," says Kathleen Abbate, president of the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara.

"We sponsor this annual event to fulfill the wishes of Mrs. Sandburg, who hoped Connemara would be an inspiration to other writers in the same way it was for her husband," Abbate adds.

Hester will talk with high school students during the residency and be available for teachers and students with questions about writing — an interaction that she is looking forward to.

"On a personal level, I love the high school age — it's when I decided to become a writer," says Hester, who is looking forward to conveying the excitement about writing that she had at that age.

The chance to work on a novel in stories is partly what drew Hester to the Sandburg program.

Her novel's stories will be linked by theme and character, she says, with two story lines — one set in contemporary times and one historic.

The historic theme will follow a young couple in the 1860s as they move from Western North Carolina to the Texas frontier.

"This (residency) is a chance to experience that part of the country in a historical setting," Hester says.

Though the modern-day characters of the novel are products of her imagination, the 19th-century characters are loosely based on her own ancestors — from an oft-told family story of Tennessee kin moving to Texas with 12 children in tow.

Many details are true to the family history, such as the father's affliction with "brain fever" that necessitates the pregnant mother to act as leader on the arduous journey.

"There's something so domestic and elemental about that story — it's not the way our world is anymore, yet informs the way the world is now," Hester says.

"People still do difficult things they can't imagine doing," she adds. "It takes it back to that elemental level."

<p>Katherine Hester's short stories neatly weave layers of a near-forgotten American South with the familiar realities of life in the region today.</p><p>Now, as the 2013 Writer-in-Residence at the Carl Sandburg Home in Flat Rock, Hester will leave her home in north Georgia for three weeks to work on a new "novel in stories" at the national historic site, as well as engage with the community on writing.</p><p>"It is indeed a pleasure to have Katherine Hester in Flat Rock as the 2013 Writer in Residence and a member of the Carl Sandburg NHS family," says Tyrone Brandyburg, superintendent of Carl Sandburg NHS.</p><p>Brandyburg thinks that Hester's work fits well with the goals and themes of the national historic site, as well as with the works of Carl Sandburg.</p><p>"I look forward to meeting Katherine in person and having her share her writings with the community as we continue the park's tradition of promoting artists," Brandyburg says.</p><p>While she is in Flat Rock for the residency, Hester will live in the historic farm manager's house on the grounds of Carl Sandburg Home NHS.</p><p>"I feel really honored to have been chosen," says Hester, who adds that she thinks the residency program is "a thoughtful marriage of having the alone time to dig deep and a chance to interact with community about what writing is all about."</p><p>As part of that outreach, Hester will read her work at a public reception at the Chamber of Commerce on Friday and interact with area students and teachers while she's in Flat Rock.</p><p>She will also appear at the Carl Sandburg Student Poetry Contest celebration on March 22 at Blue Ridge Community College. </p><p>The public is welcome to join in the recognition of the students as they recite their winning poems at this event.</p><p>Hester says she looks forward to being immersed in the tranquil surroundings of the park and its historic buildings as a backdrop for inspiration and to inform the historical aspects of her writing.</p><p>Hester laughs as she admits she looks forward to being around the park's herd of goats, as she's always been intrigued with the idea of goat farming.</p><p>Hester is the author of a collection of stories, "Eggs for Young America," which was awarded the inaugural Bakeless Prize, and selected by Barnes & Noble for its Discover New Writers promotion, as well as named a New York Times Notable Book. </p><p>In her fiction, Hester writes of "a New South that includes both suburbia and nostalgia for a countryside once wild."</p><p>She recognizes the nostalgia for the South's agrarian past.</p><p>"There's a tension between what we came from and where we are now," Hester says. "You can't think about the South without thinking about what it used to be." </p><p>Her short fiction has also appeared in "Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards," "Best American Mystery Stories," American Short Fiction, The Yale Review, and Brain, Child magazine, among other publications.</p><p>"Short stories are really great for our time period — they can be read in one sitting, and easily read on screen," Hester says. "They are the connective tissue between poetry and the long novel — they are very powerful, like a boxer's best punch."</p><p>Born in 1964 in Dallas, she received an undergraduate degree in print journalism from the University of Georgia and an M.A. in English with a concentration in creative writing from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was awarded two James A. Michener Fellowships in Writing. </p><p>Hester lives near Atlanta with her husband and two young daughters.</p><p>Having grown up in Athens, Ga., where her father taught at the University of Georgia, she's has been familiar with Western North Carolina for most of her life. </p><p>Her first visit to the Sandburg house was on a road trip back to Atlanta from Asheville, about 12 years ago. </p><p>"I was so struck by the hominess of the house," she says. "People tend to mention the toaster between the armchairs in the living room — it's become a symbol of the domestic quality of his life there."</p><p>"Modern writers are always having to make choices between work life and home life," Hester adds. "Carl Sandburg was very much a part of the family — it's an idyllic image for a writer."</p><p>The annual residency program that has nurtured the work of poets and fiction writers is made possible though the support of the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara.</p><p>"The Friends are very excited to welcome our fourth writer-in-residence and eager to have the magic of this place be the muse for her," says Kathleen Abbate, president of the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara. </p><p>"We sponsor this annual event to fulfill the wishes of Mrs. Sandburg, who hoped Connemara would be an inspiration to other writers in the same way it was for her husband," Abbate adds.</p><p>Hester will talk with high school students during the residency and be available for teachers and students with questions about writing — an interaction that she is looking forward to.</p><p>"On a personal level, I love the high school age — it's when I decided to become a writer," says Hester, who is looking forward to conveying the excitement about writing that she had at that age.</p><p>The chance to work on a novel in stories is partly what drew Hester to the Sandburg program. </p><p>Her novel's stories will be linked by theme and character, she says, with two story lines — one set in contemporary times and one historic.</p><p>The historic theme will follow a young couple in the 1860s as they move from Western North Carolina to the Texas frontier.</p><p>"This (residency) is a chance to experience that part of the country in a historical setting," Hester says. </p><p>Though the modern-day characters of the novel are products of her imagination, the 19th-century characters are loosely based on her own ancestors — from an oft-told family story of Tennessee kin moving to Texas with 12 children in tow.</p><p>Many details are true to the family history, such as the father's affliction with "brain fever" that necessitates the pregnant mother to act as leader on the arduous journey.</p><p>"There's something so domestic and elemental about that story — it's not the way our world is anymore, yet informs the way the world is now," Hester says.</p><p>"People still do difficult things they can't imagine doing," she adds. "It takes it back to that elemental level."</p>